Restorative Justice for Sexual Violence Offences in England and Wales: The Challenges Ahead

Abstract

While an increased number of restorative justice (RJ) cases involving sexual violence are observed across England and Wales, the extent and scope of its use remain unclear. This article presents the findings of a brief survey distributed amongst RJ practitioners across England and Wales which aimed to understand the use of RJ in cases of sexual violence. We found that while RJ is widely used in such cases, a comprehensive national picture remains unknown. We found problems both collating and analysing the data because of definitional differences, varying organizational recording mechanisms (within and between organizations and geographical boundaries) plus a lack of national direction across the criminal justice system. We call for the development of a sound evidence base that will promote and support the use of RJ for cases involving sexual violence.